Time to clear up Game of Thrones’ biggest mystery – here’s how Arya got the jump on the Night King

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No Game of Thrones face swapping...Arya kidding me?

Game of Thrones
Image credit: HBO

It may already feel like a lifetime ago but one of the most jaw-dropping moments in Game of Thrones season 8 went without an answer for the longest time. How did Arya sneak up on the Night King and deliver the fatal (and White Walker-killing) blow to the coldest man this side of Tywin Lannister? By using one of her awesome masks? Red Woman magic? No, the truth, unfortunately, is a lot less cool than you might have been hoping for.

As revealed during Sunday’s The Last Watch documentary on HBO (H/T Winter is Coming), we got a peek into the key moment thanks to a look at the Battle of Winterfell script.

In it, Arya “vaults off a pile of dead wights” and gets caught by the Night King. Of course, she then engages in a knife trick that would make John Wick blush, though the most important bit is how she reached that point: Pure stealth, with nary a cardboard box in sight. Solid Snake, eat your heart out.

But that’s it. If you’ve been waiting weeks for confirmation that Arya actually used her magical face-swapping powers (you know, the ones she’s spent seasons crafting and perfecting) to get the drop on the leader of the White Walkers, then you may be feeling a tad disappointed.

Still, at least that’s all been cleared up. It takes nothing away from Arya – who’s literally using dead bodies to propel herself forward into Westeros folklore – and doesn’t take away too much from the scene now you’ve had a peek behind the curtain. It’s just… not the answer you might have been expecting.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.